I urge the Coalition and President Granger in particular, to graciously accept the will of the electorate

Dear Editor,

I think the vast majority of Guyanese know which party has won the March 2 General and Regional elections. The recount when completed, will only confirm what is already known, namely that the PPP/C has won the elections with a comfortable majority of the votes. Provided, of course, that there is no skullduggery in the recount exercise.
It is against such a backdrop that certain elements are doing everything within their power to stall the recount and introduce unnecessary procedural bottlenecks with a view to create some element of doubt in the integrity of the voting process.

The fact that there are so many dissenting views within the APNU-AFC camp is symptomatic of a schism within the coalition on a possible way out of the current dilemma it is now being confronted with.
It underestimated the weight of international condemnation over the infamous District Four count and the rulings of the Court, the combined effect of which has seemingly resulted in a serious rethink by President Granger on a possible swearing in ceremony that manifestly lacks legitimacy and due process.

The decent thing for Granger and the Coalition to now do is to come up with an exit strategy that would save face and allow for a transition of power after having sold a false narrative to its supporters that it won the elections.
The attempt by a few misguided elements to lobby the US State Department is indicative of a level of desperation that is playing out in the corridors of power. As all right-thinking Guyanese know, such action will not change the views of the international community that the PPP/C has won the elections.

In any rules-based contest, there will always be winners and losers. There is nothing wrong or undignified in losing. By the same token, the winning party must acknowledge a good contest and avoid any tendency at triumphalism. Humility is one of the greatest elements of victory.

I urge the APNU-AFC Coalition, and President Granger in particular, to graciously accept the will of the electorate and spare the country and its citizens any further pain and agonizing wait. COVID-19 is already proving too much for us to endure.

Hydar Ally